Currently the term “burn a CD” has become more popular and more and more people are becoming aware of it. But just like you would guess, we know that it is not everybody who actually knows what the term actually means. So what does it mean to burn a CD? To “burn” a CD simply means copying or writing information onto a compact disc, or CD. CD drives are capable of writing CDs, and make use of laser to “burn” the information onto the underside of the CD. It then allows it to be read in CD players or CD-ROM drives. Here, we will be stating essential uses as well as steps for creating or burning your own CD.
The function of Burning a CD
The first and principal function of burning a CD is to copy information from your computer onto a writable disc. Most computers are designed with an existing CD/DVD burner and come with pre-installed software which makes burning a disc simple and straightforward. However, if you don’t have software that you can use to burn a CD, you can take advantage of free programs. These free programs are available online to help you with the process.
- Simply go to download.com
- Type in cd burning”.
- A slew of free or trial programs will be displayed for you to download.
- Most of these programs have user friendly interfaces which can conveniently guide you through the steps of creating a burned CD.
Types
There are several different mediums you can use in creating a CD. It all depends on the information you would like to “burn”. If you want to create a CD that can be played on a standard CD player, then you want to create an audio CD. To do this, place compatible music files, like an mp3 or wmv file, and compile them into a tracklist. The standard length on a writable CD is 80 minutes.
If you would rather create a CD that contains files that you want to backup or store, create a data CD. But, you have to understand that a data CD can only be read from the CD-ROM drive on a computer. The files will appear like they would when they are saved onto your computer’s hard drive. Most CDs can even store up to 700 MB of data.
Some audio CD players or DVD players on the other hand, are capable of playing mp3 discs. These can also be created as well. The advantage that an mp3 CD has as compared to an audio CD is this. An mp3 CD can hold many more songs as compared to the standard audio CD. This process is quite similar to a data CD where the mp3 are stored just the same way that they are stored on your computer’s hard drive.
Benefits
Many benefits accrue with being able to “burn” your own CD. What are these benefits?
- An audio CD enables you create your own mix of favorite songs or copy an existing album to share with friends.
- A data CD allows you to back up as well as store information in case of a computer crash, and makes your file portable.
- On a CD, you can store your entire photo album and have it sent to family to share memories and events.
- Students or educators can also create CDs for their presentations or class projects.
What is the Time Frame Required to Burn a CD?
The time it takes to “burn” a CD differs depending on several factors. These factors include:
- How much data is on the disc.
- The writing speed of the CD drive.
- The type of CD that you are burning.
Understand that the more data that is going to be placed on the disc, the longer it will take to “burn” the disc. As such, a data or audio CD that is at its capacity of information may take between 5 to 30 minutes to burn.
When it comes to speed, the writing speed of the drive will determine how fast it places the data onto the disc. For the speed, it is measured in times (x) faster than the amount of data. The standard speed of CD drives is between 24× and 52×. A 52× speed implies that it will burn the information 52 times faster then the amount of information that will be copied.
An audio CD on the other hand, will generally take longer to burn than a data CD. This is because the software has to convert the music files in order to be able to play on standard CD players.
Considerations
Here’s what to consider if you are still contemplating on the idea of burning a CD:
- Backing up information on a CD is an ideal medium of storing and protecting your data.
- Most CD burning programs include a section which makes the process of backing up files simple. It also allows you to choose the most important data that you would like to copy onto a disc.
- This can protect your files if there is a hard drive crash or computer virus.